Exploring the associations between physical fitness components and physical activity during gameplay in Special Olympics Unified Cup athletes
Franziska Loetzner, Leah R. Ketccheson, Michael VanNostrand, E. Andrew Pitchford · European Journal of Adapted Physical Activity · 2026
Special Olympics provides health and sport opportunities to more than 4 million individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Participation in physical activity can promote components of physical fitness in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Health-related physical fitness is closely associated with physical activity, yet individuals with disabilities are less likely to meet physical activity recommendations than the general public. The
Objective: of this study was to examine the associations between physical fitness and physical activity during gameplay among Special Olympics athletes who participated in the 2022 Unified Cup in Detroit, Michigan. On-field physical activity and physical fitness data were collected from 70 Special Olympics athletes (male = 34; female = 36) during group-stage gameplay at the 2022 Unified Cup. Adequate or “healthy” performance on physical fitness components ranged from 47% to 97%. Associations between on-field physical activity and components of physical fitness were observed for hamstring flexibility, handgrip strength, blood pressure, and weight status. The strongest association observed was between on-field physical activity and athlete sex; thus, all analyses were conducted for the full sample and stratified by sex. These
Findings: highlight the varying levels of physical fitness in Special Olympics athletes and suggest that several fitness components may relate to soccer gameplay.
Findings should be utilized to reassess measurements and physical fitness evaluation in Healthy Athletes Screenings at Special Olympics events.